Grants Associate

About the RoleThe Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs is seeking a Grants Associate. This is an ideal opportunity for a proven grants administrator to join an impactful organization focused on systemic change at a critical moment of growth.Reporting to the Director of Development, this position will be the lead strategist and project manager focused on growing the Washington Lawyers’ Committee’s foundations and grants revenue. The Grants Associate will manage, and coordinate all fundraising efforts related to grants to increase this revenue for the organization. The portfolio of writing currently fluctuates between 10-15 submissions annually to foundations, government, and corporations.ResponsibilitiesThe Grants Associate will be responsible for accomplishing specific objectives and activities related to institutional fundraising, including but not limited to:Project ManagementDevelop and manage a comprehensive grants program to meet annually determined funding goals.Create measurable goals for the grants program, including number of submissions, awards, and dollars raised.Maintain calendar to ensure timely submission of letters of inquiry, proposals, and reports.Develop and maintain individualized strategies of solicitation, cultivation, and stewardship for each grant funding entity.Contribute to the development of data management, collection, reporting, and program evaluation capacities within the organization.Project manage to keep the Director of Development current on and prepared for all upcoming applications, reports, and information needs.Grant Prospecting and WritingProspect research to ensure the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has a robust pipeline of local, regional, and national grant opportunities to pursue.Conduct research on funding opportunities with an emphasis on new sources of revenue for both general operating support and priority projects. Evaluate each opportunity to ensure Washington Lawyers’ Committee is deliberate and selective in what it applies for and when.Lead staff teams to develop concepts for new and ongoing funding opportunities.Write highly competitive foundation, government, and corporate grant proposals and concept papers, and produce customized letters of inquiry and reports.Use an “every draft is best draft writing” style so that the Washington Lawyers’ Committee team reviews only dynamic, reader-friendly, and high-quality writing free of typos, jargon, and lackluster prose.StewardshipBuild strong relationships with organization’s portfolio of current and potential institutional funders.Monitor progress of grant-funded projects to ensure successful implementation in accordance with grant contract terms.Track and report on grants that have been won by working closely with the program staff once a grant has been awarded to ensure they understand what must be tracked and liaising with all staff necessary to collect data to complete grant reports on schedule.Development OperationsOrganize files and documents to make compiling attachments easy and to facilitate reporting by always easily finding original documentation.Manage grants in Raiser’s Edge to ensure all grant opportunities and tasks are current and well detailed.Provide accurate and timely documentation of grants income and work with financial staff to provide reports and information for accounting and planning purposes.About YouTo be maximally successful in this role, you need to be:A project manager with a knack for working backwards from a deadline to create a work planDiligently mindful of deadlinesAccustomed to working on multiple projects with different deadlines simultaneouslyAn independent worker, self-starter, self-initiator, and self-managerA succinct and directive communicator who responds readily and closes loopsA natural information-sharer so that everyone is always looped inA fanatic for follow-up so that you get what you need, when you need itA writer by heart and interest who can tailor tone, voice, and style as neededA collegial editor, who can offer specific, encouraging feedback to bring a piece of writing to its best iterationYou need to have:3-5 years of nonprofit grant writing experienceExperience writing all types of grants, especially program-restricted onesExperience writing 6 to 7-figure grantsAbout Location, Compensation and BenefitsCandidates must be within commuting distance to Downtown Washington, DC. Washington Lawyers’ Committee operates on a hybrid model:all staff work in the office (Tuesday – Thursday), with a telework option (Monday, Friday)Employer-provided health and dental insuranceGroup Life, AD&D, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability coverageFlexible Spending AccountRetirement planSavings on transit and parkingCompensation is based upon Washington Lawyers’ Committee pay scale, see posting on website. Credit given for prior relevant experience. Generous leave and employer-funded benefits. WLC executed its first collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) signed in 2022 with a staff bargaining unit.To Apply:Interested applicants should submit a (1) resume, (2) cover letter and (3) a writing sample representative of development work to wlcjobs@washlaw.org with “ Washington Lawyers’ Committee Grants Associate ” in the subject line.Washington Lawyers’ Committee does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, gender, marital status, disability, or status as a US veteran. DC natives and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.